Living Water

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? – Psalm 42:2

Text: John 7:37-39; Isaiah 12:3

Prop: a glass of water

Summary: Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe on him. The Holy Spirit satisfies our thirst for God.

Look at this glass of water. Have you ever been thirsty? (Yes.) This glass of water may satisfy your thirst now, but after a while you will be thirsty again. We need fresh water to live. You probably live near a source of water or a supply of water. As a young boy, I lived in a small town which had many artesian wells. That kind of well is one where the pressure underground pushes the water up and it flows like a fountain naturally. On my school playground I could stop and run over to the fountain anytime to get a drink of water. It was good to get a cool, refreshing drink of water. As years passed, some of the wells dried up. Today our Bible story is about a source of living water that will never dry up.

(Read John 7:37-39.)

Jesus was at the feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. This was a happy time. Everyone was singing and dancing. They remembered how God took care of them when they lived in booths in the wilderness. It was a custom to draw water from the pool of Siloam on each day of the feast and pour it out as an offering to God. This reminded them that God had given them water when they were thirsty in the wilderness, that he provided rain to water their crops, and that he promised to pour out his Spirit on the people at the coming of the Messiah, or Deliverer (see Joel 2:28). They heard the words of Isaiah 12:3 which says, Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

It was on the last day of this feast that Jesus stood up and spoke loudly for those who were thirsty to come to him and drink. The people who heard Jesus understood what he was saying. Jesus wants us to understand also. Jesus is God’s Deliverer who was sent to set us free from sin and save us. The living water that Jesus gives us is the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus returned to heaven, he kept his promise and sent the Holy Spirit to those who believed on him. The Holy Spirit is a never-ending source of life. The Holy Spirit within us is what Jesus meant by the rivers of living water(John 7:38). We have a longing for God deep within our souls. This is our thirst for God. God satisfies our thirst for him by giving us the Holy Spirit to live within us when we believe on Jesus.
Let us pray. Dear Lord Jesus, please send your Holy Spirit to guide these children to follow you all the days of their life. Amen.